Hill Auditorium

100 Years of Expression

Hill Auditorium - The Birthplace of Creativity on the U of M Campus

by Sage Spiegelman

Bright lights, intricate designs, and parabolic ceilings created for exceptional acoustics are just a few unique aspects of the beautiful University of Michigan Hill Auditorium. Hill Auditorium has been a cultural incubator, gathering people from the University of Michigan as well as the surrounding area for the past 100 years (“Hill Auditorium”).

The 3,500-seat central campus auditorium is named after Arthur Hill, who in 1865 received a degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Michigan and returned to the university a few months later to study law. Hill made a career in lumber by buying land and harvesting timber in the United States as Canada.

In 1901, Hill was named to the University of Michigan Board of Regents. As a regent, Hill transferred 80 acres of property (now known as Saginaw Forest) west of Ann Arbor for teaching and research in the Department of Forestry, now known as the School for Environment and Sustainability. Even after he died in 1909, Hill continued to give money to the university for construction of Hill auditorium (“Biography: Arthur Hill”). In 1913, the architectural firm Kahn and Wilby used the $200,000 ($6.5 million today) that Hill donated to begin construction (“Hill Auditorium”).

Hill wanted the auditorium to become a space for people to gather. It has fulfilled his wishes and gone even further, offering space for academic lectures, dance performances, large productions, and even, during its early years, religious gatherings (“Hill Auditorium”). The popularity of Hill has never waned. Hill Auditorium celebrated its 100 year anniversary on May 14, 2013. In celebration of this anniversary, a UMS documentary was created to reflect on the history of Hill Auditorium and to honor all it has provided for the University (“Hill Auditorium”).

Arthur Hill. Photo courtesy michigan-history.org

In 2002, Hill Auditorium underwent a major $38.6 million renovation (“Hill Auditorium”). One of the most important focuses of the renovation was ensuring that the acoustics of the auditorium remained intact because when originally built, the auditorium was referred to as a monument of perfect acoustics (“History”).

At the time Arthur Hill was born, in 1847, both the first name Arthur and the last name Hill were very popular in the United States (“Hill Last Name”). However, with his great accomplishments and contributions, Hill was able to make his name personally stand out. Arthur is a masculine name of Celtic origin. It is derived from the word artos meaning “bear,” and it can also mean “strong man” (“Arthur”). As Hill was a great man with many accomplishments in his lifetime, some can say that the name Arthur is fitting for him. The name Hill is a surname of English origin, meaning a person who lived near or on a hill (“Hill Last Name”).

The University of Michigan Hill Auditorium has become known to be one of the greatest concert halls in the world (“Biography: Arthur Hill”). Thanks to Arthur Hill, U of M has had a beautiful and special venue for the community to share and collaborate in for the past 100 years.

Works Cited

“Arthur.” Arthur - Baby Name Meaning, Origin and Popularity, https://www.thebump.com/b/arthur-baby-name.

“Bentley Historical Library: University of Michigan.” A Historical Tour of the University of Michigan Campus,

https://bentley.umich.edu/legacy-support/campus_tour/hill.php.

“Biography: Arthur Hill.” Michigan History, http://www.michigan-history.org/lumbering/bios/BioAH.html.

“Hill Auditorium: U-M School of Music, Theatre & Dance.” University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance,

https://smtd.umich.edu/about/facilities/hill-auditorium/.

“Hill Auditorium.” University Musical Society, https://ums.org/venue/hill-auditorium/?gclid=CjwKCAiA9qKbBhAzEiwAS4yeDZOi8l6

pXrvN9Y3_HdEBUW25A61yIWVn3wS7q9uWBzlaPkZXK6MAPxoCDzIQAvD_BwE.

“Hill Last Name Popularity, Meaning and Origin.” Name Census,

https://namecensus.com/last-names/hill-surname-popularity/#:~:text=According%20to%

20the%20data%2C%20Hill,What%20is%20this%3F&text=The%20Hill%20surname%\

0appeared%20434%2C827,would%20have%20the%20surname%20Hill.

“History of Hill Auditorium.” University of Michigan News, 18 June 2001, https://news.umich.edu/history-of-hill-

auditorium/#:~:text=When%20it%20opened%20in%201913,of%20Columbian%20Exposition%20in%20Chicago.

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